ESSENCE Festival of Culture will feature R&B legends Bobby Brown and Keith Sweat on July 1.
It’s official! The battle for the title of R&B king is back on the line and this time, two of the genre’s icons are going head-to-head for the crown in a Verzuz battle to rival the best of them—and it’s all going down at the 2021 Essence Festival of Culture presented by Coca-Cola.
Get ready to watch none other than Bobby Brown and Keith Sweat go hit-for-hit in what’s sure to be an epic showdown filled with a host of the R&B classics we love. Mark your calendars and get your watch party crew together to watch these stars on Thursday, July 1 at 8 PM EST via ESSENCE.com, the Triller app, and the Verzuz TV Instagram page. The Essence Festival x Verzuz stage is a show you surely won’t want to miss.
Bobby Brown is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, and dancer who has been dominating the music industry since the 1980s. Originally part of the R&B and pop group New Edition, Brown stepped out for a highly successful solo career in 1985. He’s known for his hits like Don’t Be Cruel and Every Little Step. His sound was influenced by musicians like Prince, Michael Jackson, and Marvin Gaye, which served him well as he went on to win Grammy Award and even cameo in Ghostbusters II, for which he contributed two songs on the soundtrack. He later married (and divorced) superstar singer Whitney Houston and wrote a tell-all book about his life, which was released shortly after her death. He has since returned his focus to his music, including performing once before with Keith Sweat at the Valentine’s Day Music Festival in Houston, TX.
Brown will appear opposite Keith Sweat, a fellow singer, producer, and R&B genius. He was also an important early figure in the new jack swing movement. Sweat’s career began in the 1970s and he has gone on to soar to new heights ever since. The musician honed his craft in his early years while he was a part of the music group Jamilah, before branching out as a solo artist in 1984. His collection of hits like I Want Her, Make You Sweat, and I’ll Give All My Love To You won him not only fans and fame but also awards recognizing his stellar R&B style. He eventually found himself working with other expert musicians again when he helped form the R&B supergroup LSG with Gerald Levert and Johnny Gill. He also discovered and supported other popular R&B groups like Silk and Kut Klose.
As a part of their showdown, the Essence Festival × Verzuz stage will feature an endless list of hits like Bobby Brown’s My Prerogative, Don’t Be Cruel, and Every Little Step, as well as Keith Sweat’s Nobody, Twisted, and Make It Last Forever. In other words, you’ll want to have all your best dance moves ready, folks.
Essence Festival of Culture x Verzuz is sponsored by Ciroc, Nike, and Coca-Cola.
